Game court



Patented Jan. 22, 1929.' f

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLns N. EORREST, OE RAHWAY, NEW JERSEY, AssIe-Noa VTo THE BARBER As- PHALT COMPANY, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or Waste VIRGINIAL GAME COURT.

Application led September 23, 1925. Serial No. 58,023.

My invention relates to game courts, for tennis, squash, hand ball, and the like. Such courts should have a hard, clean surface, and require markings to indicate the areas of play. Grass and skin courts, however, entail constant attention and expense to maintain them in satisfactory condition, OW- ing'both to the effects of Weather and the `growth of grass or Weeds, Moreover, the `lime markings usually employed for them are defaced by rain and by the shoes of the players, and must be frequently renewed.

I aim to obviate such drawbacks, and to provide an improved court With a hard,

smooth, durable surface andpractically neradicable markings. HOW these and other advantages can be realized through my invent-ion will appear from the description hereinafter of a selected and preferred em bodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. I, is a plan vien1 of a tennis court and,

Fig. II, shows a vertical section through the court and its foundations, taken on the line II-II in" Fig. I.

In constructing a court according Ato my invention, the first step, assuming that a suitably drained sub-base of soil has already been prepared, is to lay down a base or foundation 4 of hydraulic cement or concrete. The construction of such foundations is Well understood by those familiar with the laying of concrete sidewalks'and concrete roads and road foundations, so that a detailed description is necessary. For my purposes, the base 4 is constructed or provided with concrete or cement elevations 5 adapted to form the required markings of the finished court, exemplified in the drawings by the narrow curb-like lines enclosing the total-area of the court and defining its alleys and Othersubdivisions 6. The areas 6 amongst the raised markings 5 are recessed or depressed below the markings 5 to a depth of about an inch. For a tennis court, the raised markings 5 will appear in plan as ribbon-like strips about two inches Wide. Whatever the form of the markings 5, their top surfaces are preferably finished lquarter inch crushed stone sand, and the second, 9, comprising sand and as smooth as possible, like the finest concrete paving or floors. `For reasons which Will appear hereinafter, the markings 5 may even beconstructed or surfaced with White portland Cement, instead of with the grey cement that Will naturally be used for the rest of the base 4. C

After the base 4- is set and properly mired, I fill in the depressed areas 6 With bituminous mastic 7, bringing its finished top surface iiush or level with the top surface of the concrete or cement markings 5. Preferablv` I lay the'bituminous mastic 7 in two Courses, the first, S, comprising an aggregate of one- Or gravel and mineral dust as its aggregate.` rlhc 'agieregates for these courses 8, 9 may be mixed and coated either with hot, molten bituminous cement, or with .cold bituminous cement emulsion. The first course 8 may be laid to a depth of about one-half inch to threequarter inch; and after it hasbeen spread and Well compacted, the second course 'will belaid and finished to a sufficient depth to bring the mastic areas 7 fiush with the concrete markings 5 already described. Care should be taken `to spread the mastic of both courses 8, 9 to uniform depth, to compress it into the depressions'or recess 6,and to Work it to a smooth,V even surface, flush and level with the markings 5. `When the mastic lling has set Well (by cooling, in the -caso of hot mix, or by evaporation in the case of cold mix), the court is ready for use.

Such a court is not only durable and most permanently marked, so as never to need liming or the like`,'butpres,ents a general playing surface 7 which is substantially black in color except for the strongly contrasted White or grayish concrete markings 5. The contrast is, of course, heightened by making or surfacing the concrete or cement mixture forl the markings 5 with White hydraulic cement, as already mentioned. The black surface of the Court does not reflect sunlight, and is therefore much easier on the eyes than a light colored skin court: also, a Whitish 4or greyish tennis ball is more sharply visible on it. In its entirety, rounded by said ribs, and bituminous mastic 'lf the surface ofthe court 1S thoroughly Waterfillingr said enclosures with its upper surproof and weather resistant. fece substantially level with the top of the Having thus described my invention, I ribs. 5j claim:- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto A permanently-marked game court comsigned my nume at Maurer, N. J., this 17 th 15 prising a cement-concrete base embodying day of September, 1925. upstnding ribs defining the required markings and forming enclosures entirely sur- CHARLES N. FORREST. 

